Cynthia L. Porcari, MSN, RN. CNOR, CPPS: No financial relationships to disclose
Overview/Abstract: The surgical count is an important part of the surgical procedure and helps to prevent retained surgical items. This presentation will review the results of our research study looking at risk factors for a count discrepancy during a surgical procedure. It will also discuss the lessons learned during the primary investigators first research study.
In this retrospective chart review we analyzed count documentation data for over 92,000 surgical procedures over a five-year period. There was a higher percentage of cases with count discrepancies when the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification is 4 or 5, more than one primary surgeon, two or more assisting surgeons, a higher number of scrub persons or circulating nurses, increased OR time, and add-on/urgent/emergent cases. Findings may assist OR leaders in developing strategies to mitigate risk factors for a count discrepancy and recognizing when a case is at a higher risk for a count discrepancy.
